Enclosure for infants and young children are often used in outdoor environments or in rooms with open doors and windows, particularly in warm weather. Under such circumstances children in such enclosures are often a target for insects and even projectiles thrown by other children. In addition, direct exposure to sunlight can be particularly harmful to infants and young children who are often unable to escape the sun's rays in such enclosures. Various types of canopies and covers for play yards and other enclosures have been developed to deal with these problems.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,516,823, issued to Glover et al. teaches a collapsible play yard canopy for covering the top of a play yard. When not in use, the canopy can easily be collapsed and stored. The canopy includes an umbrella-like structure and a canopy cover that is configured to be opened to gain access into the play yard. A zipper connector is provided to join adjacent flaps in the front of a ceiling panel of canopy cover
U.S. Pat. No. 6,550,083, issued to LaMantia discloses a crib and playpen protective covering. The enclosure includes a dome-shaped top with opposed end panels and side panels. The structure of the enclosure may be comprised of a mesh cloth, however, portions may be covered with reinforcing fabric or other materials as necessary. The top of the structure is supported by two semi-rigid ribs to define the dome structure and when removed from the crib may be rolled or compressed for storage. A flap is included in the dome-shaped top in order to provide access to the interior.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0092554 by Ham et al. is directed to a canopy tent with automatic umbrella-type collapsible frame.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,986, issued to Fox discloses a tent frame device that includes an umbrella-like structure that may be used as a tent or cover. Fabric sheet material is suspended from the frame and has a zipper defining a door for access to the interior portion of the device.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/00152706 by McClenahan et al. teaches an adjustable table cover system similar to a play yard canopy. The cover may be made from any material such as plastic, cotton, or linen and includes a channel region within which may be placed an elastic ribbon to tightly secure the cover around the perimeter of the table.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a canopy for use with a wide variety of co-sleepers, cribs and play yards. It is a further objective of the invention to provide a canopy that is easily installed on the desired enclosure without need for special fittings or fixtures. It is still a further objective of the present invention that the unit be simple to erect and collapsible for transport and storage. It is yet a further objective that the canopy provide protection for infants and young children from sunburn and insects. Finally, it is an objective of the invention that the canopy design consider and address all possible safety considerations related to its use. Other features and advantages of the invention will be seen from the following description and drawings. The present invention addresses many of the deficiencies of prior art canopy and enclosure inventions and satisfies all of the objectives described above.